Skin: A Natural History explores the evolution of three unique attributes of human skin: its naked sweatiness, its distinctive sepia rainbow of colors, and its remarkable range of decorations.

Nina G. Jablonski examines the modern human obsession with age-related changes in skin, especially wrinkles. She delves into our use of cosmetics, body paint, tattooing, and scarification, revealing how skin serves as a canvas for self-expression.

This work provides a fascinating look at skin's structure and functions and tours its three-hundred-million-year evolution. It also touches on the importance of touch and how skin reflects and affects emotions, placing the rich cultural canvas of skin within its broader biological context.